Øystein Kapperud – 311/Amnesia (Handmade Records)

311/Amnesia is Norwegian electronic artist Øystein Kapperud’ debut album, currently out on handmade records. I struggled to find more information about Kapperud besides the fact that a cut from 311/Amnesia appeared on the Wire magazine’ The Wire Tapper 26 compilation, as a part of the August 2011 edition.

311/Amnesia is a dense, well-textured electronic album. Throughout the album, Kapperud flirts with particular genre stereotypes, including post-rock atmospherics and micro-house glitch beats, yet he never indulges in them, preferring instead to shift into new sonic terrain each time. Tracks such as “Exit Music (For Cinema)’ and “Intermission #1′ are built from warm, elongated tones which Kapperud has orchestrated into concise, lush pieces. “Drums’, on the other hand, holds a one bar drum loop laden with an assortment of juxtaposing rhythmic ideas that stutter and glitch around the stereo-field.

Most tracks on this record are densely packed with electronic sounds that reflect the natural environment, from glitches that are akin to insect sounds, to electronic bleeps that recall bird chirps, and grainy synthesised tones that fall like water droplets. Whilst overwhelming sometimes, Kapperud’ treatment and placement of these electronic sounds in the mix is never overbearing, with the exception of tracks “952′ and the latter half of “Vikane’, with which the processing becomes a bit of an arbitrary mess.

Overall, this is an excellent debut release that draws influence from a variety of artists and groups without being a homage. Working within a field of music that can be hit and miss a lot of the time, 311/Amnesia is a solid beginning and Kapperud’ approach quite refreshing.